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Just a few weeks ago, the Merseyside club seemed set to claim back-to-back Premier League championships and possibly a further Champions League crown. The team's capacity to secure victories without optimal performances seemed like the hallmark of true title-winners.

However, subsequently the tide shifted. The Anfield side continued with average performances and started losing points. At the same time, Arsenal, known for their stubborn backline and squad depth, began narrowing the distance at the top.

Defining a Slump in Today's Game

Can a trio of straight defeats represent a crisis? Like most football debates, it hinges completely on your interpretation of the key word. Is Paul Scholes world class? How do you define "world class" even mean? Is the Birmingham club a big team? What constitutes "big"? Is the Old Trafford outfit returned to prominence? Well, perhaps that's one we can settle.

At a team of Liverpool's stature and previous campaign's brilliance, a minor setback seems a reasonable assessment. On a recent broadcast, ex- forward Neil Mellor was questioned how many losses in a row would trigger panic. His answer was six. Currently, they are midway to that point.

Pinpointing the Tactical Issues

There are clear footballing problems. Assimilating new additions like Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who provide a different style to previous key players Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, presents a challenge. Likewise, incorporating a gifted playmaker like Florian Wirtz has reportedly disrupted the engine room. Experts of the Bundesliga point out that Wirtz is a technical player who improves those around him, linking play seamlessly rather than forcing himself on the game.

Additionally, a host of individuals who shone last season—such as Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley—are now underperforming. Actually, most of the team are. And every one of them share one significant, fresh event: the passing of their teammate and friend, Diogo Jota.

The Invisible Impact: Grief on the Field

We are now just over three months since the tragic loss of their teammate. Although the outside world moves on quickly, shifting focus to global events, the club's squad carry on training and playing each day in the absence of their mate.

This is impossible to gauge how every individual and member of the backroom team is coping from one day to the next. It requires a significant amount of projection. Maybe Salah failed to defend in a particular match because he lacked energy. Or perhaps his performance level is down a small per cent because he is grieving for his friend.

Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, spoke eloquently before a fixture, making a comparison to his personal situation of losing a teammate, Antonio Puerta, while at Sevilla. "The way they are performing this campaign is remarkable," he said of Liverpool. "Especially after Jota's loss. I went through exactly the same thing when I was a player two decades past."

"It's not easy for the squad, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the manager when you arrive at the training ground and you see daily that spot vacant. So you have to be incredibly resilient. And this is the explanation why for me they are doing not well, but exceptionally well. Because they are attempting to deal with a problem that is not easy."

As summarized well on a well-known supporter's show, the reminders are constant. They are reminded by his chant in the 20th minute, they notice his empty peg in the changing room. In the middle of matches, a through ball might be made and the thought arises: 'Oh, Diogo would have reached that.' When the Egyptian showed emotion in front of the Kop a few games ago, it indicates that all is not all right.

The Boundaries of Football Analysis and Personal Grief

After reporting on football for two decades, one realizes there is a fundamental superficiality in most punditry. We simply cannot know how an individual is feeling at any given moment and how that affects their play. Jota's passing is one of the clearest illustrations. We know a tragic thing happened, and we understand the concept of sorrow. Beyond that lies an immeasurable level of effect on different individuals at the organization. It is very possible that a few of the squad themselves do not fully understand its influence from one day to the next.

How the press reports on this and how fans analyze performances is clearly not the most important factor. On a practical basis, mentioning Jota's death is difficult to do in a brief soundbite before moving on to on-field issues. Outside of this particular event and beyond Liverpool, it would seem strange to qualify each critique of a player with an admission that we are largely ignorant about their private circumstances—be it their family situation, health challenges, or relationship problems.

A former professional footballer, the defender, recently talked on a broadcast about how his mother's death halfway through his playing days impacted his passion for the game. "I lost some joy in football as much," he said. "The high points and the lows that accompany it no longer felt the same after that." And that was half a career; for Liverpool and Jota, it has been only three short months.

The Final Thought

So, regardless of what Liverpool achieve this season—if it's something or failure—even if we don't mention it whenever we discuss their fixtures, and even if it isn't the reason for their eventual result, we must remember that a few weeks ago they suffered the loss of not just a brilliant footballer, but, crucially, they lost a dear friend.